Destinations: Milan, New York City and Brittany in France

Book: P.O. Box Love: A Novel of Letters (originally 2009, but NEW in English– February 2012) by Paola Calvetti

I reviewed this delicious new romance in e-book format, and as I read P.O. Box Love, I used the bookmark function on my Sony reader to mark favorite passages (there were so many!) and to make a list of people for whom I want to buy the book (there were so many!) If you get the impression that I am recommending this gem to lovers of travel and lovers of literature, you have guessed correctly

The Belle Ile Love Nest

If you have ever been tempted to look up an old girlfriend or boyfriend, you will sympathize with Frederico. If you have doubts about revealing yourself to someone from your past, you’ll understand Emma. Did you ever have the urge to open a bookstore? You’ll love Dreams & Desires, Emma’s bookstore in Milan that specializes in romance. Paola Calvetti, the Italian author, agreed to answer some questions for readers of A Traveler’s Library, and in my first question, I get at one of the reasons this book stands apart. P.O. Box Love blows apart the assumption that romance ends at 35 or so.

A Traveler’s Library:  How did the protagonists’ age change your task as a romance writer? 

Menhir Jean, Belle Ile, Brittany

PC: The way I found Belle Île was really strange and… tied to the destiny of the book. I was in Concarneau; it was a cloudy afternoon and I was visiting its historical monuments, having a cup of tea and wandering in the alleyways. I happened to enter an ancient bookstore run by an old bookseller selling second-hand books. I asked him “do you have any books about Breton legends or rather a love legend?” “Of course”, he answered, the great story of Jean and Jeanne!”

There are literary quotations in abundance throughout P.O. Box Love. Emma ironically quotes Virginia Woolf,” how very little natural gift words have for being useful.” A sign on the wall of the store says “The only advice you can give someone about reading is not to accept any advice…” But we asked advice anyhow– for books that inspire travel.   Paola echoed the beliefs of A Traveler’s Library.

Indeed the book is a love poem to the United States, particularly since Frederico is an Italian temporarily living in New York City during September 2001 and the book deals with the shock and horror of 9-11-01. Frederico (and the author) love the Morgan Library in New York and we are treated to the history of Morgan and the architectural challenges of adapting an historic building.

A love story told in letters sounds as though it would be a simple affair, but P.O. Box Love is enriched with  literature,  architecture, the beauty of three countries, the interplay of interesting characters, including a mother and her teenage son, and the invasion of the Internet into previously hidebound practices of publishing. All these factors contribute to a winner of a book. I welcomed Frederico and Emma into my life and was sorry to say goodbye.

Follow Paola on Facebook.

Disclaimer: Links to the book on Amazon are affiliate links, meaning that anything you buy when you use the link will help support A Traveler’s Library, and we thank you very much.  The photographs here are all the property of Paola Calvetti and should not be reused without express permission.

Today’s prize, the LAST January birthday present, a copy of P.O. Box Love, goes to one person who comments, subscribes, tweets (using @pen4hire) or mentions Vera Marie Badertscher on Google+ (You can comment on this post or on an earlier post. Just do it before Wednesday, February 1, 3:00 a.m. MST. This is your last chance, also, to enter for the Grand Prize drawing.  

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Castle of Erice, Sicily, Photograph by John Keahey

Sicily Week at A Traveler’s Library

Destination: Sicily

Book: Seeking Sicily (NEW November 2011) by John Keahey

John Keahey‘s effort to understand Sicily starts with a book, (But of course!) and continues with repeated travels and extended stays in Sicily. His wander lust, he tells us, was born even earlier, in a Carnegie Library. Clearly we are going to like this guy!

He says in Seeking Sicily, that he wanted to read native Sicilian writers, and started with Giovanni Vergas’ Cavalleria Rusticana and Other Stories, which descries rural life in 19th century Sicily. Luigi Pirandello, writing in the 19th and 20th century, added more understanding.

Photo by John Keahey

Then came the most important Sicilian writer, Leonardo Sciascia (1921-1989). The main base of Keahey’s operations and home of his favorite literary key to Sicily is Racalmuto.  This small town was birthplace and home base for Sciascia. Like many western Sicilians, Sciascia had Arab root. He once told a journalist that his family name was originally XaXa, “an Arab word meaning a soft material or netting.” Keahey visits the Fondazione Leonardo Sciascia, Sciascia’s grave, and his country home.

Keahey thinks Sciascia was a cynic until Sciascia scholar (and the author’s grand daughter) corrects him. “Oh, no, no, no,” she says with finality. “He was skeptical! Cynical has another meaning in Italian. To say someone is cynical is to say he has no principles!”

Sciascia, who frequently went against the popular trends of the day, says in one of his books, “Skepticism isn’t an acceptance of defeat,” but a margin of safety, of elasticity.”

And what does this have to do with Sicily? Plenty, it turns out. I helps explain the rise of the Mafia, the resistance to thinking of themselves as Italian, the surprising influence of the Arabs and why Sicily is painted as “irrational.”

Keahey explains the sculpture on the street of Racalmuto (pictured above) by saying,  ”Sciascia, in bronze, ‘walking’ along Racalmuto’s main street, a regular practice of his. He always had a cigarette in his right hand, but the sculptor removed it ‘to protect the eyes of young children who may bump into it.’

From his reading and his travels, Keahey provides us with important clues to Sicilian personality and culture.

1. Sicily has almost never experienced self-rule, being the target of Carthagenians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Spainards, French, and Italians.
2. As residents of a perpetual colony, the people turned inward, trusting only family–not authority.
3. Sicilians are not Italians. The author says, “Sicilians might be viewed in America and elsewhere as ‘Italians,’ but in their hearts and souls they are Sicilians.”
4. The people of Sicily perceive their location as north of Africa rather than south of Italy.
5. The original power of the Mafia grew out of close association with the authorities, and their more recent power came most notably from the Americans after the Allied invasion of World War II. (And we’ll be talking more about the Mafia this coming Friday. Their story is told by a famous travel writer.)

Seeking Sicily starts in Palermo at the ruins of  Palazzo Lampedusa, palatial home of  yet another author, Guiseppi di Lampedusa (1897- ). Travel note: the palazzo was bombed in World War II and after standing in ruins for many years, is currently under partial restoration. Lampedusa’s novel The Leopard is characterized as “a must read for anyone who wants insight into Sicilians and how they became who they are, separate both culturally and emotionally from the rest of Italy.”  (Stay tuned. On Wednesday this week we’ll talk about the 196 3 movie, The Leopard, starring Bert Lancaster.)

Painted Cart, Photo by John Keahey

But fear not, this book is not all academic analysis and literary review.As we accompany the author of Seeking Sicily, he experiences the grinding heat of summer, the joys of natural landscape and ancient ruins, and the rought-edged gray look of Palermo (suggesting a Norman heritage rather than a Roman one).  He meets one of the few remaining cart painters, who decorates two-wheeled carts with vividly colored scenes, as seen above. Of this picture, he says, “A chance encounter with the real thing, on a Sunday morning drive, in the area of Partinico along SS113, perhaps 20 kilometers southwest of Palermo.”

Keahey even devotes a chapter to food and recipes.

In each place we learn more about Sicilian culture. In addition to the books and authors mentioned in the text, the author provides a lengthy biography and a detailed index, making it easy to find everything in you want to know about Sicily.

Perhaps I’m an easy sell, because I’ve always been fascinated by Sicily–particularly by the outstanding Greek ruins–but this book has me definitely yearning to book passage sooner rather than later.

Although I have never been to Sicily, I did go to Italy. If you’re looking for reading other than Sicily, I listed these suggestions for Italian reading a while back. The Browser.com interviewed one of “my ” Italian authors, Tim Parks, who picks Italian novels, one of which is Sicilian.

You have four chances to win a copy of Seeking Sicily (which was given to me by the publisher). Be sure to check the rules, and remember that if you already have a subscription, you need to tell me in the comments that you want that extra entry every day for your reward. You have from now until 3:00 a.m. MST Wednesday, January 25 to enter today’s contest.

Disclaimers: the links to book titles are a convenient way for you to shop at Amazon. Just know that if you use them, even though they don’t cost extra, A Traveler’s Library will earn a few cents on each purchase, and we thank you! The video book trailer is the publisher’s creation and comes from You Tube. All photos used here are used with the consent of John Keahey. They are his property.

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The Tiger’s Wife: Joni Seymor of Inventive Travelware. Joni won because of good Karma.  A new reader, she not only commented, but she also announced the Ten Best Travel Books post on the Inventive Travelware Facebook page. Congratulations, Jonie. (And check out the interesting luggage tags on her web page.)

Lonely Planet’s Great Journeys: Unfortunately the first person chosen for this prize did not respond to my e-mail within 48 hours. So I drew again. And fortunately for Kristen Gough, who writes about kids and food at My Kids Eat Squid–She won! Kristen is a faithful commenter and Twitterer. Congratulations Kristen.

Railroad Stations.  Connie Cornelius who hails from Phoenix and has a tour company, won America’s Great Railroad Stations. (sorry, I don’t link to commercial sites, but I’m sure you can find her if you google.) More good reader karma here, as Connie has become a subscriber (there’s a trend her–it pays to subscribe), tweeted, commented and has even “liked” the Quincy Tahoma Facebook page. Thanks and Congratulations Connie!

Love In a Nut Shell and A Trick of the Light audio books go to Linda Style, another Arizonan–is there a trend here?  Linda writes romance novels and was recently featured in USA TODAY! We’re proud that she’s become a regular reader and valuable commenter.

Comfort and Joy, that very funny British novel, will be bringing joy to Jeanine Barone, a fellow travel writer who is a loyal supporter. Jeanine won with a Tweet! You can catch her off-beat places and experiences at J, The Travel Authority. I am a big fan of her writing and the little-known places she shares.

Parisian Postcards goes out to Idaho to Richard Mussler-Wright, the most faithful of commenters, and also a subscriber. Yep! being a subscriber gets you an automatic entry every day. You just need to tell me one time that you want to have your subscription count. That’s because some people, believe it or not–don’t like to win things!

Casablanca DVD Set: NO WINNER YET. We did not receive a response from the first winner, and so have sent a notice to a 2nd person. PLEASE respond within 48 hours when you get a notice that you won, or I’ll have to draw again.

Good Graces: Deborah Robinson, who blogs as KoloaDeb at California Dreaming, didn’t respond in time to win the Great Journeys book, but kept on commenting, and tweeting and won this time around.

I-95 Books: Claudine Jalajas says she was planning a trip on I-95 with her family, so the gift is perfect for her.Claudine makes beautiful jewelry and blogs about her crafts and family.

The Perfect Suspect by Margaret Coel. Marcia Mayne, who blogs about travel from her part-time home in Jamaica, won this one. You can read her delightful travel blog, Inside Journeys.

Building a Fire (Cherokee art and life) will be shipped to Alexandra Grabbe, the innkeeper at Chez Sven on Cape Cod, a Green B & B. She blogs about Wellfleet, innkeeping and the environment at Chez Sven Blog.

Culture Smart China and The Song of the Silk Road go to Deborah Ryan, who won the books with a tweet (@FollowMe Travelr). You can read Deborah’s words at her travel/life blog Follow Me Traveler.

The Portuguese, A Modern History, will be enticing  Casey Barber to travel to Portugal. If she books passage, you can bet she’ll come back and tell us about the food at her wonderful food blog Good. Food. Stories. 

Seeking Sicily, will similarly be tempting Meredith Resnick to travel to Sicily. Meredith writes about psychology, adoption issues and she asks deeply intelligent questions in interviews with writers about writing at one of my favorite under-appreciated blogs on the web, The Writer’s Inner Journey. (Disclaimer: she interviewed me once, but I loved her blog even before that!)

Lights, Camera, Travel, goes to writer Mariam Marcutt. You can see the two books she and her co-author have published at their website. I love all my readers, of course, but Mariam is one of those very special readers–a new subscriber!  Thanks for subscribing, Mariam.

Etruscan Places will go, appropriately I think, to the author of European Travelista–Debbie Beardsley. Perhaps it will inspire her to explore Etruscan Italy.

On the Road to Babadag goes to a new reader this year–Davis Keeler. If you happened to miss some of his terrific comments, do a search for his name and see what he has to say.  You can also read more of his writing at his blog, Elsewhere and Elsewhen. Congrats and keep those great comments coming, Davis.

P.O. Box Love (Waiting for reply)

Meanwhile, the GRAND PRIZE WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED.

Thanks to everyone who played, and I hope that you’ll stick around and help us celebrate a bunch of good books and movies that inspire travel during 2012.

The photo used here is from Flickr with a Creative Commons license. Click on the photo for more information.  Disclaimers regarding prizes can be found on the original post about the prize offering.

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Destination: London

Book: Comfort and Joy (NEW October 2011) by India Knight

Cheeky!  The little book Comfort and Joy just elbowed its way up in front of a stack of other books waiting to be reviewed.  I could not resist the cheerful red cover festooned with Christmas lights, so after reading a few more serious books, I picked it up, hoping for the best.

In moments, I was laughing out loud and within a few more moments, I knew I must share it with you in time for you to get copies for your own travel library and as gifts for all your female BFFs–before the Christmas rush sets in.  Because if there is one thing women need in the midst of holiday madness, it is some relief from the performance pressure.

London Christmas Shopping

Author India Knight‘s main character, Clara (whom Knight says closely resembles herself), think as she is doing her last-minute shopping,

It’s about love, and family, and, like I said, redemption.  If I didn’t want to run the risk of sounding like the king of the wankers, I’d say Christmas was about hope.  Yeah.  Hope.  And optimism.  It’s like the fairy tales in the window: for families, every Christmas is a new opportunity for Happy Ever After. [And then she adds, to herself,] “No pressure, then.”

Right. No pressure.  Clara, a 40-year-old writer and mum, shares three consecutive Christmases (or Christmi, as her sister says) with us.  She feels personally responsible for creating a magical holiday experience for her extended family–and, one suspects–frantic to live up to her own fantasy Christmas.  That 40-yr-old part bothers her when she sees an attractive man and realizes she is wearing tights (and flesh-colored Pants of Steel)–not see-through stockings.

The problem is, I wasn’t always a person of the flesh-colored pants variety.  There was a time, many centuries ago, when triceratopses frolicked playfully across the plains with diplodocuses, when I was acquainted with the woman in the stockings…..Happily for me I don’t find that many people attractive, plus my propensity for bad behavior has been napalmed into extinction by years and years of marriage, children, supermarkets, laundry, bills, school, work, all of that stuff.

So she gets back to searching for the perfect present and cooking and decorating herself into a tizzy for her children, her ex-husbands, in-laws, sisters and their families, a best friend and her mother–who is a dead ringer for Auntie Mame. Her daughters call her Kate–never Mum.

Part of the fun for an American reading this books is the introduction of a very English family and their Christmas culture–not terribly unlike our own, since we stole most of it once the Puritans loosened up.  On the one hand, the story is all familiar–the musings on relations between the sexes and the family dynamics.  On the other hand, there are those distinctly English bits like the class consciousness and a relentless cuteness in talking about bodily functions, and there are a few English usages that take some getting used to.  You need to learn the difference between liking someone and fancying someone, for instance.

Despite the fact that from time to time I felt left out by mentions of brands or store names I didn’t know and TV shows that have not made it to the U.S. via public TV–I totally got it.  Like, for instance, although we might not say “bits and bobs” when describing the last-minute gifts we are buying,

London Oxford Street

The book starts in this headlong rush in  crowded Oxford street on 23 December  2009, as Clara shops for the bits and bobs and ponders why pigeons walk beside her instead of flying.  The head long rush rarely lets up.

The book, of course, is not really about Christmas.  Christmas is just the setting.  It is about relationships.  Here’s Clara, describing her husband and contemplating how the hot blood of a romance cools with the arrival of children and duty.

He’s fit, in both senses.  He is extremely attractive. But you see, even with that–I lie in bed and watch him getting dressed and I think, “He’s extremely attractive,” but I think it like one might think, “He’s a sweet dog,” or, “I really like what the Browns have done to their spare room,”  It’s become objective.  I would prefer it if I had the thought and then felt compelled to remove his pants with my teeth.

Nothing of the 21st century life escapes skewering here–child rearing theories, trendy foods, conspicuous consumption, political correctness, Facebook, texting. (Clara loves “the attractive man” because he uses punctuation in a text message. As in, Happy Christmas, Clara.)

But if this is a sociological study, enroll me in sociology.  I haven’t had this much fun in years.

The publisher, Penguin Books, sent me a review copy, and while I appreciate the opportunity, they know that does not guarantee a good review. In this case, I REALLY hope that you will buy a few copies, and as usual, would be extra happy if you are shopping at Amazon, if you’d get there by clicking on a link from A Traveler’s Library. That way, although it costs you no more, I earn a few cents to keep the blog going. And thanks to the Flickr photographers who make their photos available through Creative Commons for these shots of London.

You can follow India Knight on Twitter @indiaknight

How do you get through the frictions and bits and bobs of Christmas? Are you the keeper of the flame in your family?

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Is this how traveling makes you feel? Is this the way you want to act when you discover a wonderful travel book or movie that takes you away?

We travelers who read are endlessly curious.  We want to know about all the things that might make us want to travel. And when we plan our trips we want to know all about the cultures we are visiting. Most of the time we get inspired and informed by travel literature or movies–anything with a strong sense of place.

But there are other things that inspire us to wander the world, too. Music,  museums, festivals,  food, wine,  art, shopping,  challenge, photography–there is no end to the inspirations. And there are many styles of travel, from jet setting to five-star resorts to backpacking on a shoestring; from traveling solo to traveling en famille–even if someone in the family has four legs instead of two.

And because one person cannot adequately bring you tidbits about so many different ideas, I have invited some inspiring people to partner with A Traveler’s Library.  Some of these people you are already familiar with. Some of them may be new to you. But all of them are specialists and fine writers. I’m jumping for joy about the fresh breeze that is wafting through the library and all the new ideas that these partners will bring in their periodic posts.

And expect surprises. We may shake up the way things have been here. And there may be new partners waiting in the wings with even more new ideas. Enough suspense?? Here’s the list of (at least) once-a-month contributors that you can look forward to reading during the first full week of each month.

Music Monday by Kerry Dexter

Culture Travel Tuesday by Dr. Jessie Voigts

Wednesday Matinee by Jane Boursaw

Pet Travel Thursday by Edie Jarolim

Family Travel Friday by Jennifer Close

To learn more about each of these new contributors, each experienced in her field (heck, we even have at least two PhDs among our partners!), click over to the Contributors’ Page. Go visit their blogs and support them on their home turf. And come back next week when they will start bringing you shiny new travel ideas.

What inspires YOUR travel?

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I don’t usually reprint PR releases. As a matter of fact I NEVER have. But this one is so right-down-our-alley, that I decided to share the entire thing  with you. The first paragraph refers to Amazon’s plans to make e-books available for no charge to Prime customers.  If you don’t know about Amazon Prime Membership maybe you should take a look.  Although I like to support Indie bookstores and specialty websites like Longitude Books or Interlink, I have  an Amazon Prime membership because it saves me money and gets me fast delivery on books that I need in a hurry for reviews at A Traveler’s Library. I’ve mentioned some of the tips below previously at A Traveler’s Library, but several are new. I hope you’ll find these helpful when you’re ready to buy travel literature for your own traveler’s library. Here’s the money-saving expert, Andrea Woroch.

Talk of Amazon.com’s Netflix-like e-book library adds fuel to the fire of the ongoing print vs. digital book war. In response to the great migration toward digital literature, print booksellers are simply trying to maintain their toehold in the market. As a result, the two formats are waging a fierce price battle — a battle that bodes well for reading fans.

Regardless of which side you’re on, there are several ways to save on both print and electronic books. Consider these seven resources before adding to your bookshelf or e-reader homepage.

1. Amazon.com, of Course
The retail giant’s prices are often outstanding. For example, a paperback copy of “The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett, is presently priced at just $8.80 and the Kindle edition is available at 60-percent off the list price, at $9.99.

2. Barnes & Noble Marketplace
It’s sometimes a gamble buying from a Barnes & Noble reseller as you can’t always be sure what you’ll get, but the prices are stellar. New and used versions of “The Help” are presently available starting at $6.75, or 57-percent off the face value. Register for a Barnes & Noble free express shipping membership and buy a minimum $25 worth of books to save even more.

3. FetchBook.info
This free website allows you to search by title, author or ISBN for the cheapest price on any book. In just six seconds, FetchBook.info found a copy of “The Help” priced at just $4 via eBay, a savings of 75 percent. If you’re looking for a rare, out-of-print or international book, check out BookFinder.com.

4. Go Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg was launched in 1971 by e-books inventor Michael Hart as a way of providing free digital access to the classics. Today, readers can download over 36,000 free e-books to PCs, Kindles, Androids, iOS or other portable devices.

5. Knowledge for Rent
If you’re a compulsive reader but not much of a collector, renting via BooksFree.com is a good option. Pay $9.99 per month and receive two books at a time with free shipping both ways.

6. Swap or Trade
If your one of those people with a stack of books in every room, consider swapping or trading for unread books on websites like BooksfreeSwap or Chango Books. Each site offers free membership and the cost of doing business is limited to postage, paid for by the book recipient.

7. Read and Return a la Paradies
The Paradies Shops offers a unique program to book buyers on the go, allowing readers to return books at any shop location and receive 50% of the purchase price back. With over 500 shops in more than 70 airports and hotels across the U.S., this program is tailored to travelers who need to feed their reading addicition without taking up valuable luggage space.

8. This Place Called the Library
This may come as a shock to some readers, but there are these places called libraries that allow you to borrow books and return them after reading. The selection and value of most libraries is tough to beat, plus the facility itself provides an excellent getaway when you’re in need of some “me” time.

P.S. When Andrea found out I was using her advice, she added this info that she just discovered: 11,000 public libraries announced that they will be adding e-book editions of books for kindles to their electronic collections. This is such a nice treat for any one who owns a Kindle–what a great way to take advantage of a huge collection of eBooks without the price tag.

In return, I told her about the Sony Reader Store having a page that will direct you to your public library, so you can find out if the book you want is available for free.  The Sony Store also has a link to Google free e-books. But remember, if you want to encourage authors–once in a while you need to BUY a book.

###

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more.

Vera Marie back again: Mind you, I am deeply conflicted about discounters like Amazon.  My own book, Quincy Tahoma, the Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist is NOT sold by discounters. You can find it on Amazon, but only being sold at full price through Amazon affiliate book sellers. (You can also buy it right here–see right hand column– and get an autographed copy). On the other hand, like anybody else, I look for bargains–particularly since I’m reading two to three books a week.  Please discuss. AND which of the sources that Andrea Woroch names have YOU used to find a travel book? 

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If you were Jonesing for one of the books that somebody else won, you can click on the book cover and go directly to Amazon to get your own copy. You’ll be happy, and anything you buy while you’re at Amazon will earn a slight commission for A Traveler’s Library, so we’ll be happy too. We thank you.

1. Sabrina of Country Skipper wins the first book. Her choice is School of Night, a delightful historic novel.

2. Katrina Stovold of Tour Absurd chose One Day I Will Write About This Place, one of the most amazing books I have read this year. (Note: Although Katrina currently lives in Ireland, she is a U.S. citizen and has a mailing address in the U.S., which qualifies her for the contest).

 3. Rosemary Castens of on-line magazine Feast of Books chose How to Cook a Crocodile because she loves Africa.

4. Laura Baran chooses the Egypt package, which contains Cadogan Guides to Egypt and to Cairo, as well as A Traveller’s History of Egypt. (An excellent package. I really love the personality of Cadogan Guides!) Laura says she can use the guides in her work, as she will be working with Egypt. How nice.

The Caliph’s House. 5. Kris Bordessa of Attainable-Sustainable has chosen The Caliph’s House, the tale of remodeling a house in Marrakesh. Not sure the remodeling job would fit Kris’ ethos of sustainable living  ;-),though.

 AND

 6. Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell, who writes about Living Large in Our Little House, chooses to see photographs of ghosts in a pair of books, Ghosts in the Cemetery and Ghosts in the Cemetery II: Farther Afield. Just in time for Halloween!

7. Meredith Resnick wins Pairs Was Ours, a book of essays by writers and others who have lived in Paris. Meredith contributes to Psychology Today, and also interviews writers at Writer’s Inner Journey .(I’ve linked to her interview with me, but it is only fair to note that I’m only one of many. I also should assure you that random.org picked Meredith’s name, as it does all the winners in the drawing.)

 8. Susan Lanier Graham, who writes about WOW travel chose one of my favorite books of the year, Turn Right at Machu Picchu.

9.  Cathy Sweeney, a newer reader of A Traveler’s Library, shares her travels at Traveling with Sweeney. She discovered ATL through Travel Photo Thursday. (Thank you Budget Travelers Sandbox!) Cathy  chooses The Last Time I Saw Paris, an historical love and adventure story.

10. Connie Ong, both a subscriber AND a faithful commenter, has chosen The Bird Sisters. Connie blogs about her personal life and philosophical musings at Unbirthday Escapades.

11. Deborah Robinson, who blogs at California Dreaming,selected Gib’s Odyssey. Will she be heading EAST to  take a boat trip?

 12. Jackie Smith, who shares lots of good travel and book ideas both in her comments here and in her blog, Travel ‘n Write, chooses a book about a journey of another kind–the Crusades. The book is Shadow of the Sword.

13. Richard Mussler-Wright was away for a while, but he’s Ba-a-ack reading and commenting every day, and stocking up on books recommended here. For his prize, he selected one I did not write about (just because it jumps all over instead of giving one good place to inspire travel), the funny, unique  The Sinner’s Grand Tour.

14. Casey Freedland chose the Robin Hood tale, in The Tapestry Shop.

15. Chronicle in Stone is the choice of green innkeeper, Alexandra Grabbe, whom you can find at Chez Sven in Wellsfleet, MA.

16. Germaine Shames, novelist, gets the collection of short stories about Africa, The Civilized World.  See what Germaine writes about at her web site.

17. Paz’s New York Minute keeps us up to speed on New York City with a great photo blog. She chooses The Bread of Angels.

18. Billie Frank, who with her husband keeps us informed about Santa Fe, chooses Contact Creede.

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Choosing a book

Perhaps you have been wondering where all those books are that I’ve been reviewing since our last Giveaway? Travel Memoir, travel guides, travel literature, fiction with a sense of place, travel non-fiction, travel adventure–in short, all those things we call travel books.

The usual.  They’re stacked in a box that is threatening to trip Ken when he comes in the office.

This will be the largest number of books given away yet.  I think there are 25 books (but since that’s more than fingers and toes, I may be off a couple). I’m offering some packages. And the best news is YOU GET TO CHOOSE which book you want if your name is drawn.

Rules are here, and you will have a better chance of winning, if you check the rules. For this contest only ONE book or book package per winner. Once you’ve won, you’ve won. That’s it.

In addition to comments, don’t forget that Tweets (with @pen4hire in them) and Google+ comments count, as do new e-mail subscriptions to A Traveler’s Library. (Be sure to check the rules if you are a current subscriber, as you can enter too. Just tell me in a comment that you want to be entered automatically in EVERY drawing.) You may comment on several posts in one day–but only one comment PER post will count toward the contest.

I will notify winner and give him or her a chance to choose. Then I will move to the next round and notify that winner. It is a bit complicated, so it will take a bit of time, but you can help by replying quickly when notified.

Note: I would link all these books back to my reviews, but then Google would think I’d created a link farm and that’s a very bad thing. So if you want to refresh your memory, use the search box over in the right hand column.

Ready?

Fiction:

• The Last Time I Saw Paris
• Contact Creede (Historical Colorado)
• The Floor of Heaven (Historical Alaska)
• Our Daily Bread (Nova Scotia) [not reviewed--a dark novel of a hill family that could be Appalachia as well as Nova Scotia]
• The School of Night (England-historical mystery) [not reviewed]
• The Tapestry Shop (Robin Hoods’ England) [Not reviewed]
• Shadow of the Sword (the Crusades)
• The Bird Sisters (Wisconsin)
• Chronicle in Stone (Albania)
• The Civilized World (Africa)
• A Trick of the Light (Montreal–Audio Book)

Non-Fiction

• One Day I Will Write About This Place (Africa)
• Paris Was Ours (essays)
• Turn Right at Machu Picchu (Peru)
• Gib’s Odyssey (The Intracoastal Waterway, Eastern U.S.)
• How to Cook a Crocodile (Gabon, Africa–includes recipes, but nor for croc)
• The Caliph’s House (Casablanca Morocco)
• Culture Smart: China [reveiwed at Indie Travel Podcast]
• The Sinner’s Grand Tour (review copy–humor) [ not reviewed]
• On the Road to Babadag (Balkans)
• Bread of Angels (Syria)
• Egypt package: [#2 and #3 reviewed at Indie Travel Podcast]

1. A Traveller’s History of Egypt
2. Egypt: Cadogan Guide
3. Cairo: Cadogan Guide

• Cemetery Package:

1. Ghosts in the Cemetery: Volumes I and II (Photo Essay book)

So if you have the great good fortune to be the next person to be drawn–which book will you choose?

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday: Announcing the Biggest Travel Literature Giveaway Ever.

Thursday: Travel Photo Thursday This is new to me–starting with last week’s photo of Uncle Sam at Hatch New Mexico, but it is a fun way to share with you some of my travel memories.

Friday: Africa–new and amazing memoir

Monday: Paris–a famous biographer explores 19th century Paris.

Wednesday: A visit to Etruscan Italy, led by a famous (and controversial) novelist.

Upcoming: Portugal, Wisconsin, China, England and more literary travels.

That brings us to October, when we’ll be announcing a NEW partnership that will bring you enticing content.

Oh dear, it is all so, so that I think I’m getting the vapors.  Quick–to the fainting couch–Gotta go lie down now.  See you tomorrow.

This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library. We'll leave a light on for you.

©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.

Transylvania

Destination: Eastern Europe

Book: On the Road to Babadag: Travels in the Other Europe (2004, newly out in paperback) by Andrzej Stasiuk

So few of the place names in On the Road to Babadag were familiar, that I began to wonder if I had ever left the farm.

Satoraljaujhely, Hungary, near the Slovakia border

Actually, Andrzej Stasiuk, a Pole, wrote this for a Polish audience, who might have more of a clue than many geographically-challenged Americans about such places as Hidasnémeti, Sátoraljaújhely, Gönc, Chisnau (which my Word Press editing panel doesn’t even provide the proper accent marks for), or Baia Mare. But maybe not.

Of course I am reading about this unconventional road trip in an English translation of the original Polish (it was first published in French), but I still had that feeling you have when you can remember just a wee bit of the foreign language you studied in college, and you’re trying to read a newspaper. Lost. And getting lost in a new terrain is part of what On the Road to Babadag is about.

While Hungary teeters on the edge of the known world (in traveler’s terms), other Eastern European countries that obsess Stasiuk have been at war or closed by dictatorial leaders for long periods of time–Romania, Macedonia,  Croatia, Transylvania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia. And where does Moldavia fall on your must-see list of countries? (Just saying.) Since I have been addicted to Greece forever, I come with built-in prejudice against Albania, but I’ll be talking more about that poor benighted country in a future post about a terrific book I’m currently reading by an Albanian writer. Besides, Stasiuk says:

Yes, everyone should come here.  At least those who make use of the name Europe.  It should be an initiation ceremony, because Albania is the unconscious of the continent…Albania is the dark well into which those who believe that everything has been settled once and for all should peer.

On the Road to Babobab spills out lists of city names, snippets of scenes, a jumble of odd characters in stream-of-consciousness fashion. The book mesmerizes with its jumps through time and space and its lack of coherent narrative.  True, from time to time, Stasiuk fastens on one subject for a few pages–like the differences in money, or the way that people react to a certain event. And he always hones in on details that paint an indelible picture.

I finally took his chapter on maps as a hint, and sat with the Atlas open to the Balkans on my lap underneath his impressionistic book of travel memories. Aha! He was not just making up those places I had never heard of. They exist. Not only that, they must be pretty significant sized cities, or they would not be showing up on my Atlas. And as he says,

It is good to come to a country you know practically nothing about.  Your thoughts grow still, useless.  Everything must be rebuilt.

If you go with the flow– let the unknown names wash over you– before long you will be rewarded by one of his pithy insights. He likes to discuss place as metaphor.

We had gone to Nagykálló because, according to our guidebook, “at the end of a long and creepily empty square,” stood a psychiatric hospital. Which might be some kind of physically manifested metaphor, I thought, a metaphor for Eastern Europe.

On the Road to Babadag takes some getting used to for those accustomed to conventional travel memoirs that center on the experiences of the writer, because this one concentrates on the impressions rather than actions. He does not set the scene and tell us how many countries, what area, what population. He does not introduce himself. Although we learn some things obliquely, later in the book. He does talk about his own uneasiness with trying to capture something useful and on the uncertainty of memory.

Romania

He is not traveling to a popular destination and extolling its art, landscape, gourmet food, or opportunities for extreme sports. Instead he describes The Other Europe as a land that endures rather than achieves. He likes decay. He seeks out the Gypsies, people without a country. Me with my love of disintegration, my sentimental fondness for whatever doesn’t look the way it should, he says of himself.

Because these are disintegrating societies, he feels compelled to visit and record what he observes before time erases all trace.

This is not an easy book to write about. It was not an easy book to read. And yet it introduces an unknown half of a very well-known continent.  When I polled readers not long ago about what places A Traveler’s Library should talk about, someone suggested Eastern Europe. If you have an interest in Eastern Europe, and a taste for expressionistic writing, tackle On the Road to Babadag, a  literary travel memoir that deserves a place in a traveler’s library.

Disclaimers: The publisher provided an advance uncorrected proof. If you buy the book (using one of my Amazon links-hint!) it is possible that words I quote may have changed. The pictures all come from Flickr, and once more I am amazed at the arcane subject matter that can be found there. Please click on the pictures to learn more about the generous photographers who share.

For more on Andrzej Stasiuk, if you read Polish look at his web site. http://www.stasiuk.pl/

If you are stuck with English, then go to his Facebook Page.

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©2012 A Traveler's Library. All Rights Reserved.